ISLAMABAD - The senate functional committee on problems of less developed areas gave a final one month notice to the federal education ministry for resolving the problems of National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) employees, Thursday. 

The meeting of the committee was held here under the chairmanship of Senator Usman Khan Kakar, while Senator Hasil Khan Bazinjo, Senator Fida Muhammad, Senator Nighat Mirza and Senator Kulsoom Parveen attended the meeting. 

The committee expressed its displeasure over the delay by the ministry of federal education and professional training regarding implementation on the recommendations of the committee.

“The ministry has breached the privilege of the parliamentary committee and the matter will be raised on the relevant forums if the ministry failed in implementing the recommendations of the committee in next one month,” he said.

The committee has recommended the ministry to release the nine months salary of the National Commission for Human Development employees and job security. The chairman said that the ministry is using delaying tactics for more than one year. “I have a feeling that the government wants to shut down the NCHD and we will not let it happen,” he remarked National Commission for Human Development is an attached department of federal education ministry providing informal education in the far flung areas of the country up to primary level.

National Commission for Human Development was established as a project where more than two million students are getting education while the strength of teachers is 6510.

The committee was briefed that the department is functional without chairperson and Director General (DG) for last one month. “This reflects the deliberate negligence of the government regarding the department as it has not appointed a permanent DG for last month,” he said. 

The chair also remarked that the previous DG Samina Waqar took serious measures for resolving the matters of the department, but she was removed from the post.

He added that low paid staff is earning their bread and butter from the employment but government wants to close this department now. The chairman also added that after the 18th amendment, education was a devolved subject and was to be devolved to the provinces however; federal has still not limited its role in education matters.

“We want to end the word education to be transferred to provinces as soon as possible,” he remarked.

The minimum qualification for the National Commission for Human Development was matriculation while the salaries ranged from Rs8000 to 16000.  “Salaries are unpaid and the DG has not been appointed, the government certainly wants to close it,” remarked Chairman Usman Khan Kakar. 

He said the committee will go against the minister to save the National Commission for Human Development.

The ministry officials’ additional secretary Syed Anwar-ul Hassan and ministry’s advisor on Finance Muhammad Bilal briefed the committee that the National Commission for Human Development was established as a welfare program in 2004 and is being run from the endowment fund.

The finance advisor told the committee the Board of Directors (BoDs) has shown reluctance in supporting the department financially because it noted the flaws in operational side. He said that the National Commission for Human Development management also refused briefing the matters to its BoD. 

He said that the National Commission for Human Development has a total budget of 610million and the pending salaries will be released to the regular employees in the next month through Auditor General Pakistan Revenue (AGPR).

The committee was told that the appointment of head of the attached department of the ministry is the provision of the cabinet, while the matter of National Commission for Human Development is also on the agenda of Council of Common Interest (CCI). CCI is looking into the matters of the departments which were devolved after the 18th department and were to be transferred to the provinces. Officials said that the departments according to its charter had to self sustain however it didn’t and ministry is supporting it.

He said that the ministry has sent the PC-1 of Rs18million in regard of the salaries and sent it to the planning and the matter is pending there now.

Director education National Commission for Human Development Dr Shafqat Ali briefed the committee that the department terminated 33 employees having fake degree. He also said that disciplinary action was taken against 48 employees also who were holding dual government job portfolios. The committee was also told that the in 2008 the National Commission for Human Development was having 13000 teachers and now the number has reduced to above 6000. The committee also urged the ministry to end the victimization with the employees of NCHD who had held protest against the ministry.